Pencil



April 26', 193.2. HQ RICHARDS.

PENCIL Filed Oct. 21. 1930 Patented Apr. 26, 1932 PATENT OFFICE HENRY I. RICHARDS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS PENCIL Application mea octber 21, 1930. serial N0.'49o,215.

The present invention relates to self-illing pencils, that is, magazine pencils of the type .wherein mechanism is provided for placing new leads in writing position.

An object of the invention is to provide a pencil of this type in which the mechanism is extremely simple and is operated merely by rotation of the pencil cap.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by'way of example, a preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional 4view through a pencil construction in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; p

Fig. 3 is a similar View on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig.. 4 is a similar view on the line 44-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating the lead magazine operating mechanism; y

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the lead feeding plunge-r and certain associated parts in substantially the same yscale .as Fig. 5.

Referring in detail to the accompanying drawings, an outer cylinder 11 is Provided at its top with an annular groove, in which lits, with suiicient looseness for easy rotation, an yinwardly extending bead 12 of a cap 13. The cap is provided with a removable open-ended sleeve 15 designed to hold an eraser 17. The sleeve 15 tits .down in the cylinder 13 upon a disk 18, upon which the bottom of the eraser rests and which is provided with a small hole near its periphery. This disk is adapted to rotate with the cylin' drical cap 13, and the opening 20 is thus moved successively over the separate lead chambers of a lead magazine for the purpose of dropping leads therein.

The outer pencil cylinder .11 is provided intermediate its ends with a supporting disk 22 fixed to the interior walls of the cylinder. Vithin the cylinder 11 and rotatably supported on the 'disk 22 is a pencil magazine 24, which` is cylindrical and as shown in Fig. 2, is provided with a plurality of separate tubular lead compartments 25. On its inner surface the lead magazine 24 is iuted or notched for cooperation with the lead maga* zine shifting mechanism presently to be described.

Within the lead magazine 24 is located a second cylinder 26, the top ofy which is yfixed to the disk 18 of the pencil cap 13 sothat when the cap is rotated, the cylinder, 26 is rotated with it. The bottom of this cylinder is open except for a narrow ange around the r1m.

The cylinder 26 is threaded on its interior for engagement with cooperating threads 29 on the curved end faces of a plunger head 30. which is cut away to form two side faces 3l, so that the head lies between a pair of prongs 33 and 34 fixed on the'upper face of the supporting disk 22 and exten-ding upwardly4 therefrom parallel to each other. These prongs 33 and 34 prevent rotation of the plunger head 30, so that when the cap 13 is rotated to cause rotation of the cylinder 26, the plunger head 3() will be caused to travel longitudinally within the pencil'cylinder.

At their lower edges the prongs 33 and 34 are cut away on opposite sides as shown at 35 and 36 so that the plunger head 30, which has been traveling downward Within the pencil without rotating therein, will be permitted, when it reaches the lower portions of the prongs, to rotate a slight distance as the cap is rotated due to the cut-away portions 35 and 36 in the prongs. The narrow fiange at the bottom of the cylinder 26 prevents any further downward movement of the plunger head, and it will rotate with the cylinder 26 at this point. Y

Fixed within and extending downwardly from the plunger head 30 is a plunger rod 38, which passes through the supporting disk 22 and extends downwardly therebeyond.

In the underside of the head 30 an opening 39 is provided so that when the head 30 approaches the limit of its downward movement, the head will engage, by means of the hole 39, a pin 40 xed in and extending upwardly from a cam 42 supported on the disk l 39 respect to the outer cylinder 11.

22 and rotatably mounted on the plunger rod 38. Both ends of this cam lie under the bottom of threaded cylinder 26 so that although the cam has oscillating movementJ about the plunger 38, it cannot move longitudinally thereon.

To each end of the cam 42 is fixed a fiat spring 43 and 43a, whose forward ends are in engagement with the notches or fluted portions on the interior wall of the lead magazine (see Fig. 2). When theliead 30 has descended far enough to engage pin 40 on cam 42, and rotates the slight distance permitted by the cut-away portions 35 and 36, it carries with it the cam 42. This oscillating movement of the cam causes fiat springs 43 and 43a to move clockwise, as viewed in Fig; 2, and shift the lead magazine circularly the exact distance required to bring a new individual lead compartment 25 over a small opening 45 in supporting disk 22, whereupon the lead in this new compartment drops through the opening 45 into a temporary lead compartment 48 fixed to and extending downwardly from the supporting disk 22.

The lower end of this temporary compartment is open and is securely fastened to the sides of a slot in cylinder 49, which extends upwardly within the pencil and is fixed with One side of this temporary compartment extends downwardly' from the disk 22 in direct alinement with the lead compartment of the lead magazine for the length of a lead and then curves inwardly towards the plunger rod. The other side curves inwardly toward the plunger rod a short distance below the supporting disk 22 until it is nearly in line with the inner surface of the cylinder 49. A new lead, therefore, is permitted to fall straight .down from the lead magazine for its entire length and is then thrown over by the curve until it is close to and nearly parallel with the plunger rod. The lower end of this lead, when in the temporary compartment, rests against a cylinder 58, which is rotatably mounted in the cylinder 49.

The foregoing movements occur when the plunger head 30 has been forced to the limit of its downward movement, that is to say, when the lead in the pencil tip 49 has been forced out of the pencil as far as possible, and the time has arrived for a new lead to be brought into theV pencil tip 49.

The new lead is thus allowed to drop down as far as possible in the temporary lead compartment 48, and is then ready to be shifted into position in the axial line of the pencil so that it will lie under the plunger 38.

The head 30 having reached the lower limit of its travel, cap 13 is now rotated in the opposite direction, whereupon the head 3() retra-ces its slight rotative movement, but in the-opposite direction, so that it lies clear of the shoulders on the'prongs formed by the cut-away portions 35 and 36 and is in` posi- Vtion to rise upwardly between the prongs 33 and34 without rotation for the greater part of its upward travel. Continued rotation of the cap 13 causes plunger head 30 to travel upwardly and carry upwardly with it the plunger 38.

At the upper ends of the prongs33 and 34, one prong 34 ends at a. distance from the top 18 slighly greater than the depth of the plunger head 30, and the other prong 33 is similarly cut away except for an upwardly extending projection 52, which lies over the cut-away portion 35. This construction, while preventing rotation of the plunger head 30 during nearly all of its upward travel, permits when the top of the plunger head strikes the disk 18, a predetermined amount of rotation of the plunger head 30, up to a. maximum of nearly one hundred and eighty degrees, but 4in the opposite direction to which it was rotated at the bottom of its travel, due to the fact that the pencil cap 13 is now being rotated in the opposite direction. This partial rotative movement of the head 30 at the upward limit of its travel causes the new lead, waiting in the temporary compartment 48, to drop into position to be fed downwardly on the next downward movement of the plunger 38 in the following manner.

The lower portion of the plunger 38 (Fig. 6) is provided with al radial fin 54 extending from a disk 69, which is fixed securely to the plunger rod to within a short distance of longitudinally along the plunger rod. A 'fspring fastened at its upper end to the fixed disk 69 and at its lower end to the movable disk 68, holds the two disks a short distance apart except when the spring is forcibly compressed. When the spring is extended as shown in Fig. 6, the split sleeve extends slightly below the end of the rod and has a slightly cone-shaped interior 56 at its bottom, so that it may engage and hold the top of a lead, thereby not only permitting the lead --l to be forced downwardly by downward movement of the plunger, but also, by means of the grip on the lead by the bottom of the Cil split sleeve 55, permitting the lead to be drawn upwardly within the pencil upon the upward movement of the plunger.

The lower end of the split slee-ve 55, containing the plunger, lies within a slotted. cylinder 58 rotatably mounted in the pencil tip n inder 58 is fixed a disk 59, one side of -which is partially cut away to permit the temporary lead compartment to come close to the plunger rod. To prevent axial movement of the slotted cylinder 58, the iin 54 on the plunger rod 38 engages'a notch in the disk 59, as shown at 63, Fig. 6, so that when the plunger head 30 reaches the upper limit of its travel and has a slight movement of rotation, counter-clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 3, carrying with it in this slight rotative movement the plunger 38, the disk 59, and consequently slotted cylinder 58, will be given a. corresponding slight rotative movement. This brings the slot extending longitudinally of the cylinder 58 opposite a corresponding longitudinally extending slot 66 i'n the lower portion of the temporary lead compartment 48, and permits the lead waiting in the temporary compartment to drop by gravity through the slot 65 into the cylinder 58 in alinement with the plunger. Since the internal diameter of cylinder 58 is greater than the diameter of the lead, the cylinder 58 must be rotated something less than 180 to bring the slot 65 opposite the slot 66, whereupon the new lead falls into the cylinder 58 from a position very close to and practically parallel with the plunger rod.

If the pencil cap 13 be now rotated in the opposite direction, the head 38 of theplunger will be given a corresponding slight rotative movement so that it no longer bears against pin or projection 52 and will assume its traveling position between the prongs 33 and 34. Continued rotation of the pencil cap 13 in the feeding direction will force the` plunger downwardly until the slotted sleeve 56 meets the upper end of the new lead. The resistance of the rifled pencil tip 72 to the new lead causes the top of the lead to be forced up into the cone-shaped bottom 56 of the split sleeve 55 until it strikes the end of the plunger rod. i

Continued rotation of the cap forces the lead 'into writing position. When nearly all of the lead has been forced out of the pencil, the. movable disk G8 is stopped in its downward movement by the disk 59. Continued rotation of the cap, however, forces the plunger downwardly,compressing the spring and forcing the end of the plunger rod and the top ofthe leadout of the split sleeve 56 and the rif-led pencil tip 72.

When the lead has all been fed out of the pencil and the plunger head 30 reaches the limit of its downward movement, the lead magazine will be shifted as already described and a new lead will drop into the temporary lead compartment 48, as already described. lVhen the pencil cap 13 is rotated to bring the plunger to its upper position, this new lead will, `as described, dropinto alinement with the plunger.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the present invention provides a relatively simple construction in which the mere movement of the plunger to position for feeding a new lead causes the newflead to drop into feeding position. Various changes may be made in the details .described without departin from the invention as defined by the fol owing claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A magazine pencil including a pencil cylinder, a lead magazine therein, a plunger, means for reciprocating said plunger in said cylinder, a temporary lead receiver, devices operable on downward movement of the plunger to drop a lead `from said magazine into said temporary lead receiver, and mechanism operable on upward movement of said plunger to drop a lead from said temporary lead receiver into a position in line with said plunger.

2. A magazine pencil including a pencil cylinder, a support fixed therein, a lead magazine rotatable in said cylinder on said support and provided with a plurality of individual leadchambers, said support being provided with an opening therein, a temporary lead receiver below said opening, a plunger, devices operable on downward movement of the plunger to drop a lead from said 'magazine into said temporary lead receiver, and mechanism operable on upward movement of said plunger to drop a lead v from said temporary lead receiver into a position in line with said plunger.

3. A magazine pencil including a pencil cylinder, a support fixed therein, a lead magazine rotatable in said cylinder' on said support and provided with a plurality of individual lead chambers, said support having anA opening therein, a temporary lead re ceiver below said support in line with said opening and having a longitudinal slot at its lower end, a rotatable slotted feed conduit in the lower end of said pencil cylinder, a.

vplungeravorking in said conduit, devices voperable on downward movement of said plunger to the limit of its travel for rotating said lead magazine to drop a lead therefrom through the opening in said support into the temporary lead receiver, and mechanism operable on upward movement of said plunger to the limit of its travel to move said feed conduit to aline its slot withthe slot in the temporary lead receiver to drop a lead therefrom into said feed conduit in line with L working in said conduit and having a head,

and a cam member on said support in engagement with said rotatable lead magazine, said plunger head, on downward movement of said plunger to the limit of its travel, actuating said cam to shift said lead magazine to bring a new lead over the opening in said support so that it may drop into said temporary lead receiver, said plunger, on upward movement to the limit of its travel, actuating said rotatable slotted feed conduit to receive said new lead from said temporary lead receiver.

5. A magazine pencil including a pencil cylinder, a lead magazine therein, a temporary lead receiver associated with said lead magazine, a feed conduit adjacent said temporary lead receiver and co-axial with said pencil cylinder, a plunger member cooper ating with said feed conduit, means for reciprocating said plunger member, and mechanism actuated by said plunger member at one end of its travel for dropping a new lead out of said magazine into said temporary lead receiver, and said plunger member, at the other end of its travel, shifting said feed conduit to receive said new lead from said temporary lead receiver. Y

6. A magazine pencil including a pencil cylinder, -a rotatable lead magazine therein, a. temporary lead receiver associated with said lead magazine, a feed conduit adjacent said temporary lead receiver and co-axial with said pencil cylinder, a plunger member' cooperating with said feed conduit, means for reciprocating saidI plunger member, and mechanism including a shifting cam actuated by said plunger member at one end of its travel to move said lead magazine to drop a new lead therefrom into said temporary lead receiver, said plunger member, at the other end of its travel, shifting said feed con duit to receive said new lead from said temporary lead receiver.

7; A magazine pencil including a pencil cylinder, a rotatable lead magazine therein, a temporary lead receiver associated with said lead magazine, a movable feed conduitv adjacent said temporary lead receiver and coaxial with said pencil cylinder, a plunger member cooperating with said feed conduit, means forreciprocating said plunger member, guide means preventing rotation of said plunger member intermediate the ends of its 'travel and cut away to permit partial'rotation of said plunger member at both ends of its travel, and mechanism including a shifting ca m actuated by partial rotation of said plunger at the lower limitof its travel to move said lead magazine to drop a new lead therefrominto said temporary lead receiver', said plunger member partially rotating at thevupper limit of its travel, thereby shifting said movable feed conduit to receive said new y lead from said temporary lead receiver.

8. A magazine pencil including a pencil cyhnder, a lead magazme therein, a plunger, means for reciprocatmg said plunger 1n sald cylinder, a temporary lead receiver, devices operable at the limitof downward movement HENRY I. RICHA DS. 

